


One Man On A Boat (To Say Nothing Of The Merman)

by lisachan



Series: Leoverse [78]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2016-03-03
Packaged: 2018-05-24 13:42:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6155511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lisachan/pseuds/lisachan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been more than a week since Cody saved Adam from certain death and dragged him to the rock in the middle of the sea where he's been working on a new raft with which he hopes to be able to sail back home, where he knows his mother and the rest of the villagers eagerly await his return.<br/>Today, the raft is finally ready to set sail towards the coast, but Cody isn't as happy as he should be about it. And, quite frankly, Adam isn't either.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Man On A Boat (To Say Nothing Of The Merman)

Building the boat hasn't been hard as he thought it'd be.

Sure, it hadn't been easy either, but he had thought that, with Cody's findings, more similar to waste material than to anything that could actually be used to produce something that would last more than a few hours, at sea or not, even building the simplest raft would've been a pain and in the end it wouldn't have amounted to anything, really. Instead, everything he put out to dry on the rough ground of what he's come to call _his rock_ eventually dried up, all the sails proved to be easy enough to mend and all the wood's gotten solid, solid enough to put back in the water without risking his life too much by doing so.

Cody has assisted him every step of the way, and Adam still isn't very sure on how he feels about it.

Sure, he looks gorgeous. Sure, he's kind - he's really put a lot of effort in finding materials for Adam to reuse, and it's been careful not to bring him anything too damaged to really work -, and he's smart, and funny, and charming, in a way, but Adam can't help feeling a little intimidated whenever his eyes linger on him too long. He looks exactly like a gorgeous painting that keeps showing awful, terrifying details the more you look at it. You're looking at a beautiful landscape, with a pretty little girl running among the crops, the sun shining on her golden curls and her cherry lips curled in a delighted smile, when suddenly you realize the smile isn't really a smile but an evil grin, and the crops aren't crops, but a million blonde heads on pikes, and the little girl's hands are covered in blood and you know she's the one who did it.

Now, looking at Cody isn't nearly as unsettling, but the general feeling remains. Of something so beautiful and charming at the first sight, that is, though, so different from the reality you usually conceive to be frightening.

And yet, Cody has kept coming. There's an air of complete serenity and trust about him that keeps Adam guessing if maybe he's being too rude trying to keep him at some sort of distance. Cody's been nothing but adorable with him, always available, always ready to swim ridiculous lenghts just to get him what he wants. Adam's not _scared_ of him, he likes having him around, he likes the sound of his voice, the way he looks, his jokes, how beautifully the scales of his dark blue tail shine in the sunlight, especially when he's just emerged from water, how his hair stick to his neck and shoulders when they're wet, how weirdly curvy his body looks, the air of softness he emanates, even though he probably isn't really softer than a shark would be.

Adam really likes him, he just wishes he could close the distance separating them. Do something to nullify it, to make it so that their differences don't count, that the fact that they come from two different worlds, more often than not at odds with one another, means nothing. Maybe, when he manages to do that, it won't be so scary to look at him anymore, especially when his gaze lingers over his features too long.

"Is it ready?" Cody asks excitedly, swimming frantically all around the raft. 

"As ready as she'll ever be," Adam chuckles, holding the rope tying the boat to the rock in his hand, "Thanks for making it possible."

"I can't believe I helped with it!" Cody squeals, clapping his hands. He squirts water all around and some of it ends up splashing Adam's face, but it's cool and crisp, and he doesn't really mind. He watches Cody disappear underwater with a powerful flick of his tail, and then he hears a bumping sound, and when he sees the raft move up and then down again over the surface he laughs again.

"Don't try and sink her already, it's too soon," he says, waiting for Cody to come out the water once again, massaging his head, "Why did you do that?"

"I wanted to see how sturdy she was!" he answers honestly, and then he smiles brightly. "Adam, this is amazing! You should be a boat builder."

"No, I don't think that's ever going to be my way," Adam chuckles, pulling the raft closer to take a step towards it. Cody watches him intently - he watches him cross the tiny strip of water separating the rock from the raft, and then he watches him land on solid ground, walking a little right and left to finds its point of balance. Then he watches him sit down and stretch his arms behind himself,half-lying down, watching the sunset. "I was almost starting to believe I wouldn't have made it," he says with a dreamy voice, thinking about his mother, the way he left her. He can't wait to see her, to speak with her. To give her the hug he had refused to give her the day he left.

"When..." Cody asks in a low voice, crossing his arms over the raft and resting his chin on them, "When are you going to leave?"

"As soon as possible," Adam answers right away, nodding enthusiastically, "My mom's surely waiting for me, as will be the rest of the village. I need to get back as fast as I can."

"...mhn."

Not even a deaf man would be able to miss the disappointed sound of Cody's voice, and not even a stupid one would be able to misinterpret it. Adam turns to look at him and sees him look at an empty spot in the distance, clearly seeing nothing of it. 

"Hey..." he tries, rolling on his side to get closer to him, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean I don't like it here. I mean, we've had fun times."

"Please," Cody chuckles, shaking his head, "You don't need to lie, I'm not stupid. No one would like living on this rock all alone."

"I wasn't alone, though, was I?"

"You don't need to comfort me," Cody insists, smiling at him, "I knew this day would come. I just wish it didn't mean we won't see each other again."

"That's ridiculous," Adam shakes his head, resolutely, "Why wouldn't I want to see you again? You've helped me so much, and you've been such a good friend to me."

"Yes, but really," Cody sighs, "Who are we to one another? You barely know me."

"You saved my life!" Adam replies, "And... I know you! Well, something about you, at least. You've told me about your city and what you do for fun. We're getting to know each other - that's how it works between people. One day after the other, you know them more and more, until you can honestly say you know all about them."

"But I know nothing of you," Cody answers, looking down. His lips curl into a sad, childish pout, and Adam can't help but smile at the sight.

"You're right," he nods, "I've been an awful friend." As the sun starts to set, he holds his hand out towards Cody, inviting him to grab it. "Listen, it's not like I have to leave right away. I have to wait for the sun to rise again, I don't feel safe sailing this raft at night. How long can you stay out of water?"

"...I don't know?" Cody looks down at his still outstretched hand, and then up at him, "I never tested it. Why?"

"Because I want you to come lie down here, next to me," Adam explains, still smiling, "And I want you to ask me whatever comes to your mind about me. I've questioned you a lot, and you've always answered honestly. It's only fair that I do the same for you."

For a moment, something dark and uncertain swims in the back of Cody's baby blue eyes. Adam doesn't have the time to translate its meaning, though, because Cody finally smiles, holding his hand and letting him drag him on board.

"It's... a little uncomfortable," he chuckles, trying to settle down beside him, "Dry wood is so hard."

"You'll get used to it," Adam smiles at him, crossing his arms behind his nape. Cody tries and do the same, but it doesn't seem like the position's satisfactory, to him, so he ends up turning on his stomach - his tail hitting the wooden boards hard enough to make Adam fear for the integrity of the raft a couple of times - and propping himself up on his elbows, looking at him from above.

"Why do you want to come back so much?" he finally asks, "Is life at the village that good?"

"Not at all," Adam chuckles, shaking his head, "On the contrary. The fisherman's life is hard. You have to get up way before dawn, prepare the boats to sail and then you have to get out to the sea, and it doesn't matter how cold it is, or how sleepy you are, because you have to come back with the food your friends and family need to survive. It's a big responsibility, and it's very tiring."

"But you still do it."

"As I said, it's a big responsibility," Adam nods, "Responsibilities may be heavy crosses to bear, but they're privileges too. You have to be proud of them. I'm sure you can understand - don't you have responsibilities of your own?"

"Mmmh..." Cody seems to think about it for a while, "Not really, no. Leo says my responsibility is to be pretty, and that's really not much of a cross to bear. Besides, why would someone want to bear a cross? Any cross, really. To what purpose?"

"That's just a figure of speech," Adam laughs wholeheartedly, "It means you're doing something you don't particularly like to do, but you do it nonetheless because you know it's your duty. Besides, who's this Leo guy?" he asks with another chuckle, "He doesn't sound so nice."

"Leo's nice!" Cody answers, shaking his head, "And this is my question time, don't cheat."

"Right, right," Adam chuckles, raising both arms in surrender before crossing them behind his nape once again, "I'm sorry. Ask away."

Cody remains silent for a little while, and then moves closer to him, speaking in a lower voice. "Does everyone back where you live rely upon you for their food?"

"Well... not just upon me," Adam shakes his head, "But they do rely on me too. They rely on all of us. They trust we will all do our part to keep the village alive."

"But why must it be your responsibility to feed everybody else?" he goes on, apparently holestly bewildered by the concept, "Our parents teach us to provide for ourselves very early in our development. I was hunting my own food when I was very young already!"

"You're a different species than we are, Cody," Adam smiles kindly, stroking his cheek, "Our children aren't able to provide for themselves."

"And your adults?"

"Sometimes," Adam laughs, amused, "Not even them."

Cody seems to think upon it for a while, his eyebrows coming together in a wondering expression. He remains completely silent for a while, so long that Adam actually starts to worry about what he might come up with.

But then he speaks, and what comes out of his mouth is nothing like Adam was expecting.

"I think you're very brave," he says, looking down towards him. "You work a lot for everybody you love, and you act like you somehow owe it to them, but really, you don't. They should be stronger, they should provide for themselves, but they don't and you don't expect them too. That's... that's because you've got a kind heart, I think," he adds, resting his hand on Adam's chest, right where his heart's beating, "You're a nice person. And... yes, you're brave. Even though you lost your dad, and you live a hard life, you're always positive and you try to see the best in everything. Even in me..." he blushes a little, "Even though you really don't know me at all... you haven't tried to harm me."

"Why would I want to harm you?" Adam asks, looking back at him. Cody's hand against his chest feels warm and pleasant. He puts one of his own on it, as if to protect this moment from slipping away too fast. "You've been amazing to me. Sure, you're different than me, and you can be scary at times, but it's not your fault, it's just the way you look."

"You think I look scary?"

"I think you look... different," Adam answers. It's hard to put it into words, especially because he doesn't want to offend him. But he couldn't stand it if Cody ever thought he didn't like him, so he has to try and explain it. "All things too different from what you're used to tend to be a little scary. But that doesn't mean you don't like them."

Cody looks intently at him - for a moment, the silence falling between them feels heavy as the sails were when Cody brought them to him, dripping water and apparently useless. 

"You look different too," Cody answers in a whisper, his eyes never leaving Adam's, "To me, I mean. And I think... sometimes that's scary for me too. But it still doesn't mean I don't like you."

Adam's not sure what Cody means by that, but his words resonate with his heart, making it beat faster. He moves closer to him, turning on his side again. He half expects Cody to move away, but he doesn't. He keeps staring right at him, and Adam wonders if maybe his _liking him_ might hold the same hidden meaning as his own does.

He presses his lips against Cody's. It's both an act of faith and a textbook demonstration of utter stupidity. He knows nothing about this boy, except for the fact that he's stunning and he's been kind to him. He knows nothing of his species, since apparently all that he knew about it were lies. But Cody could still attack him, bite him, push him away, drag him to the deep of the ocean and drown him as an overreaction to what it might feel to him as an assault.

And yet he does nothing of the like. He seems a little surprised, at first, and he doesn't respond to the kiss right away, but he loosens up soon. He closes his eyes and Adam feels him relax underneath his fingers as his lips part, giving him way to the wet warmth of his mouth.

He had expected him to taste like fish, somehow, but he just tastes a mysterious mix up of sweet and salty. Adam likes it. It's weird and unsettling and unexpected, just like Cody himself, and just like Cody himself he likes it.

He's never been a very active boy whenever it came down to relationship with the opposite sex - or with his own, for that matter. He's always had different interests, he liked stories, he liked fishing with his dad, he likes drawing sketches of the sea, especially when it was agitated and the waves rose so tall to seem like they wanted to threaten the very life of the village. Kissing, touching, getting intimate with people - that was not his jam. But something draws him towards Cody, an instinct, an urge he needs to follow, despite the fact that he has no idea what he's doing right now, where to kiss him, how to touch him, not only because he's a boy and not only because it's a merman, but simply because it's another creature that it's not himself, and Adam really doesn't have any experience when it comes to that. But he can't stop it, so he keeps kissing him, holding his lips between his teeth and sucking them into his own mouth until they turn red as cherry and swollen, hot and wet and so tempting he just needs to kiss them even more. And he strokes him, his silky skin, the softness of his curves - he is really as soft as he looks like -, the spot in which smoothness turns to the slippery sharpness of the scales of his tail.

Even the weirdest, the most upsetting details about him feel enticing, right now.Something in his taste feels hypnotic, it makes Adam think in a foggy way, as if he was drunk. But at the same time all his senses are razor sharp, and he's completely lucid, lucid enough to know exactly what it means, whatever it is what they're doing.

He stops after a while, breathless, his heart pounding so hard it seems to want to come out of his chest by tearing a whole through it. "I don't know--" he says, agitated, "What should I--?"

"Don't worry about it," Cody presses his hands against his chest, making him lie down with his back on the raft, overturning their positions, "My body's a little too complicated for you, right now."

"But I want to--"

"I know," Cody interrupts him with a reassuring little smile, "I want it too. Believe me, I've tried not to want it, but I kept coming, and now that you kissed me... it's all very clear, now," he chuckles. Adam has no idea what the hell it is he's saying - frankly, he doesn't even care. All he knows is that, if he does not kiss him again right now, he's probably going to suffocate, like a fish forcibly kept out of the water. So he tries to pull him down, but Cody resists, pressing his hands against his chest once again, keeping him down. He really is stronger than he looks. "Some other day," he says gently, "Now let me take care of you. There's something I've seen a human girl and a human boy do, once, and I want to try it," he finishes with an amused smirk.

"What...?" Adam whispers, baffled to the point of being unable to suppress a nervous chuckle, "What are you talking about?"

"This," Cody whispers, settling down between his legs. Adam watches him get rid of his pants and take him in his own mouth, sucking gently at his erection, playing in swirls with his tongue around it. He laughs again, shaking his head forst, then covering his eyes with his forearm, defeated by a sudden wave of embarrassment that leaves him spent under Cody's ministrations.

This isn't completely satisfying. He wants him - he's got a hunger for him that a simple thing like this could never even try to quench.

It isn't satisfying - but it certainly is pleasant, and Adam lets himself go to it, to the waves of pleasure washing over his body, pushing him closer and closer to his climax just like the sea waves keep pushing the raft gently towards the open sea.

If it wasn't tied to the rock, it would sail adrift, for sure. Adam's tied to nothing, though, and so sail adrift is what he does, crashing against Cody's shores, making him the stage for his own, personal shipwreck. The only kind of good one.


End file.
